To Love a Magpie
by Volkihar
Summary: Just when everything is finally going according to plan, fate decides to take a crap on Tony Stark's doorstep in the form of a pregnant demi-god. Meanwhile, Loki tries to adjust to life in Midgard and Tony struggles to accept that being quasi-immortal isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sequel to Your Safeword is Magpie.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nor or am I making any kind of profit from writing this. ...Pity.

**Pairings: **Tony/Loki

**Warnings:** Violence, m/m and f/m sexual content, Bondage and BDSM (eventually), Mpreg (of a Loki sort...), Genderfluid Loki, disgusting amounts of fluff, some angst.

**Notes:** If for some reason you're reading this before Your Safeword is Magpie, a couple things to keep in mind: Anything in italic is the character's thoughts. Anything italic and in quotes is Tony and Loki talking to each other via telepathy.

* * *

**Chapter One: ** From This Day Forward...

* * *

"Christ Natasha, can you stop fussing with my suit? It's fine." Tony complained and swatted the Black Widow's hands away from his tie.

"Shut up, Stark. You've got to look good for your bride." She said, smirking as she straightened Tony's collar despite his protests. Behind them, Pepper giggled as she adjusted a loose bobby pin in her reddish hair that was done up in a neat bun, using the penthouse window as a mirror. Tony wasn't sure if he wanted to praise Loki, or kill himself for letting the trickster choose the bridesmaid's dresses. Either way, Pepper, Natasha and Jane Foster could put Playboy right the hell out of business in the flattering emerald green silk gowns they were wearing. ...And there wasn't even anything really interesting showing aside from the fact that they were modestly low-cut and open-shouldered.

"I hope _her _gown is more conservative than yours, or else taking my vows is going to be damn awkward. I _knew_ these pants were going to be too tight." Tony said sarcastically. Pepper made a fake gagging noise and fled the penthouse lounge to go make sure Tony's 'better half' was presentable. Tony just rolled his eyes and Natasha, as usual, completely ignored his antics.

It had been officially one year since Doctor Doom's attack on Stark Tower, which was now fully rebuilt. There was a reason they'd chosen today for the wedding date – it was the day it all began. Maybe it didn't start out on the best of terms. Being hungover with a concussion, and dragged through the woods by a demi-god that would rather just kill you can't be the best way to start a relationship. Somehow it happened anyway, and Tony was pretty sure it was officially the best thing that had _ever _happened to him; including Amora and her ridiculous love spells. The telepathic bond he and Loki shared might just have been the best part of it all, in spite of how it came about. Without it, there was a pretty good chance they would have just wound up killing each other instead of where they were now – about to be married.

It took all of Tony's self control to let Happy drive him to the restaurant where they were having the ceremony. Well, maybe not _all _of his self control. ...Because Natasha gave him a glare that clearly promised a brutal murder if he messed up his suit flying there in the Valkyrie.

* * *

"Steve, your gay flower thing is crooked." Clint said, poking at the super soldier's shoulder.

"It's called a boutonniere." Steve muttered mutinously under his breath and glared at Clint.

Loki smiled in amusement at them as she had Jane help her into her wedding gown. Loki had chosen to take a female form for the wedding, halfway because he needed a damn good excuse to be okay with the fact that he really just wanted to wear a fancy gown. If nothing else, Tony was either going to murder her later for having to undo what had to be at least fifty buttons, or just rip it off and ravish her.

Either way, it wasn't exactly a bad image.

Loki was thankful for Jane's help. Tony invited her, and Loki decided to have her as a bridesmaid for Thor's sake – or rather to hopefully control Thor. So far it was working well, except that it was Frigga that finally had to drag Thor out of the bridal suite. Unlike Steve, the thunderer looked horribly out of place in a suit.

Loki felt a little bad for Steve, though.

_Poor bastard._

If it weren't for the pathetic puppy eyes Stark had given him, there was no way in hell Steve would have agreed to be his best man. And now it was seeming like an even worse idea, because apparently Captain America in a tailored Armani suit was just too much for the delicate female mind to handle.

...Or something like that.

Jane had stared at him so much that she walked straight into the door frame, and literally ran away all flustered and blushing. Pepper had also been rendered temporarily speechless and tripped over the hem of her gown. And if that wasn't bad enough, Steve could swear to God both Loki and Natasha were checking out his ass at every possible opportunity. When Steve called Loki out on it, the trickster just shrugged and said that if there was anything wrong with appreciating a fine ass, he would have had to kill Tony by now. Steve grudgingly agreed with that statement... even if his face went beet red at the thought of Loki thinking he had a 'fine ass'.

Though, it was also entirely possible she'd just said to drive him up a wall. Loki was trying to get rid of him, hoping to have a few moments to herself before the ceremony. Steve and the others had become very protective of Loki after the disastrous press conference when Tony finally made it public that yes, for the five hundredth time, he _is_ bisexual and engaged to an alien demi-god (or goddess depending on said alien's mood).

Of course, it didn't go over well.

...At all.

To the public, Loki was still just that psychopath that led an alien army to attack earth. On top of that, most people still believed him to be behind the attack on Stark Tower that cost the lives of almost a hundred Stark Industries employees. Even though SHIELD and Stark Industries backed up the claims that he had nothing to do with it, there was no evidene to prove otherwise, and Loki's returning the Tesseract to Asgard meant nothing because it was a top-secret affair. ...For glaringly obvious reasons.

Loki was used to negative attention, though. It was Tony that wasn't particularly taking being seen as a traitor very well. Though, oddly enough, he was less offended by that than the anti-gay protesters slandering him. Still, Loki admired his disgusting optimism that eventually the press would find some other poor sod to harass.

"_Hey Reindeer Games, look in a mirror so I can see how gorgeous you must be." _Loki snorted and ignored Tony as Jane pinned her veil in place.

"_In most cultures it is considered bad luck to see your bride before the wedding, Anthony._" She eventually replied.

"_It's also kind of frowned upon to let your bride tie you down and fuck your brains out before you're married. But hey – been there, done that, hopefully getting some more tonight." _Loki chuckled to herself and shooed Jane away, carefully avoiding looking at the mirror mounted on the wall of the bridal suite in Tony's favorite high class Italian restaurant in New York, that he had reserved for the ceremony and reception. It was just going to be a small affair, given the public's less than stellar response to the whole thing. Though, the street outside was already lined with paparazzi and news reporters.

"Well, it's time to get this show on the road. Ready ladies?" Loki turned to Pepper who was standing in the doorway and gave her a nervous smile. She was a little surprised to be nervous at all. Getting married wouldn't change anything where Tony was concerned. No, all it would do was finally make it official. It was probably just all the attention that was getting to her.

"I think so!" Jane said and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress. "Loki?"

"Yes, let's do this." Loki said and followed Pepper, careful not to let her gown drag on the floor. It was rather annoying to move around in, but Loki definitely felt like some kind of fairy tale princess. …Not that she would be willing to admit how much she _liked _that feeling.

* * *

When Tony saw Loki being led down the aisle by Frigga (the trickster had wanted no part of Odin being the one to give him away), it took every last ounce of his self control not to run to her and snatch her up in his arms. Loki was always incredibly beautiful in a female form, but Loki in a stunningly made lace and pearl monstrosity of an elaborate Victorian styled wedding gown was almost too much. It was a good thing the sight of her rendered him speechless, because Tony was pretty sure that reverting to his usual habit of inane chatter when nervous wouldn't be acceptable in this particular setting. ...At all.

Either way, it was only Loki that he saw, no one else and certainly not the rest of the ballroom that was elaborately decorated in a green and gold Victorian theme. The smile Loki gave him when he took her hand as she stepped up beside him positively made Tony melt inside.

_Jesus fucking Christ. I'm actually getting married, and it's awesome._ He thought as he held Loki's hand tightly and they both turned to face a certain red-headed elf who would be marrying them, with the mayor of New York, Pepper and Steve as legal witnesses. Taure might not have been a priest by any stretch of the imagination, but he sure looked like one wearing delicately embroidered elven robes and a gilded headdress that looked like vines.

Tony was glad Taure had agreed to do this for them. They owed a lot to the elven healer as far as their relationship was concerned, and Tony easily counted him among his rather small group of friends that he actually trusted. Taure smiled fondly at them and gave them a small nod. He didn't hear a word of what he was sure was a carefully prepared speech about the sanctity of marriage and the beauty of love. Loki, he could tell though their bond, wasn't listening in the slightest either.

And then they said their vows (Edited to 'love and to cherish for all of eternity' rather than 'until death do us part'), Tony thinking for sure he'd faint when he said the final 'I do'. Loki holding his hand in a death-grip might have actually been the only thing keeping him upright.

Tony just smiled like an idiot when Darcy's little nephew brought them their rings, and Loki slipped Tony's onto his finger. Somehow, Tony managed to remember how to function and slid Loki's on. He didn't miss the way her emerald eyes sparkled with amusement at how flustered he was. He did, however, kiss her like his life depended on it. Hell, maybe it did. Loki would _definitely_ kill him if he pussied out now.

_Shit, I'm fucking married._ Tony thought to himself as they posed for photos after Taure confirmed their union. He just hoped he didn't turn out looking as shocked as he felt. He barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes when he saw Jane patting Thor's shoulder as tears streamed down his face.

He was also lucky he didn't trip when Loki dragged him into the center of the ballroom floor for the first dance. Tony wouldn't remember what their wedding song was for the life of him, Loki had chosen it after all. He thinks it was Beethoven, but he knew the only part he'd actually remember later was Loki's smile.

Unsurprisingly, it took Tony four glasses of scotch to feel like himself once the party finally started. Loki was dancing with Agent Coulson when they both wondered if the open bar was really a good idea. Darcy, Clint and Nick Fury were three sheets to the wind and dinner hadn't even been served yet. Still, she hoped someone had a video camera because Fury trying to grab Natasha's ass as she walked by was hilarious. ...Especially when she turned around and slapped him.

Tony just tried to ignore it all while desperately attempting to not make an ass out of himself as he danced with Frigga, who'd read him the riot act earlier that morning. He couldn't help but smile when saw Taure kiss his husband, Elindar out of the corner of his eye. He was glad they got they got some time together, apparently they saw very little of each other because of Elindar's position as an adviser to the king of Alfheim. And there was Taure's apprentice Liriel dancing with... Bruce? Well, that was interesting.

Dinner was amazing when it arrived, and the party carried on well past midnight. Of course it did, it was a Tony Stark party, after all – even if Loki picked out all the decorations and the dinner menu.

* * *

Tony was so thoroughly exhausted when they finally called it a night, that he hardly even recalled how he wound up back in his bedroom in the penthouse of Stark Tower. All he knew was that he was dead tired, and sprawled across his bed half asleep when Loki crawled on top of him and kissed him possessively.

"I need assistance to get out of this ridiculous gown. You are not permitted to sleep until you undress me." Loki said with a smirk. Tony snorted and slipped his hands under the many layers of lace to rest them on Loki's thighs.

"Oh man, you're even wearing garters? This is going to take forever." He complained sarcastically. "I thought you liked prancing around in a dress."

"I did, but it's rather cumbersome and I have no desire to sleep in it." Tony just shook his head and sat up so he could undo the back of the dress which was fastened with more buttons than he could count. Their lips met in a lazy kiss as Tony slipped the dress off Loki's shoulders, revealing _more _clothes. He knew Loki had a kink for elaborate underwear, but damn this was just too much. The dress wound up tossed aside in heap of discarded lace and tulle.

"You are not done yet." Loki purred and nipped Tony's lower lips between her teeth.

"_Obviously." _The engineer said silently and pulled Loki's sheer lace slip off over her head and threw it in the pile. The next thing to go was her stockings and garters, followed by lace panties and a matching bra.

"So darling, how do you want it? ...Seeing as I can tell that just letting me pass out and give you a rain-check for first thing in the morning is probably not an option." Tony quipped and sucked lightly at her throat as he undid the clasp on the two million dollar diamond necklace he'd bought her as a proper engagement gift. That was _somewhat_ more carefully placed on the nightstand.

"Let me do it." Loki said and shoved Tony back against the bed with a thump.

"Aren't I wearing a bit too many clothes there, Bambi?" He said and made to slip off his overcoat, but Loki grabbed his hands and shook her head.

"No, leave it on. Seeing you in formal dress does unmentionable things to me." Loki demanded. Tony just laughed, and wondered if his many press conferences could now be counted as porn.

"Whatever you like, Sweetpea." He mumbled and yawned as Loki massaged his still clothed crotch and brought his half-assed erection to full attention. "Am I going to have to worry about Captain Chastity having a heart attack because he accidentally walked in on you jerking off to me on the news during a public relations event?"

Loki chuckled and straddled his hips. "That is different, you wore this for me." She said huskily and grabbed ahold of his tie to pull him forward as she leaned in for another kiss. _And don't try to say you didn't, _she said to herself as she reached down and unzipped Tony's pants. He sighed contently as she slipped a hand inside his green silk boxers and stroked him softly.

"You know, I hate it when you do all the work. I think the new couch in the lounge needs christening." Tony said suggestively and glanced at the open door of the bedroom.

"The couch? On our wedding night?" Loki asked incredulously.

"Trust me." Tony said. "I'll leave the suit on just for you, Mrs. Stark."

"You drive a hard bargain; I accept." Loki said and hauled Tony off the bed. The next thing she knew, she was draped across the wide armrest of the black leather couch, with her arms resting on the back of it. If there was anything Loki loved more than lace against her bare skin, it was supple leather. She moaned like a cat in heat when Tony positioned himself behind her and cupped her breasts in his hands as he slid inside of her.

_Definitely better than the bed, _Loki mused as she looked down on the bright lights of Manhattan while Tony slowly began to move. Before long, Tony set a steady pace and Loki moaned in abandon as he pounded her into the leather, beautifully taking everything she was given. She cried out in surprise when Tony took a handful of her hair and pulled gently, knowing her love for pain to contrast with the pleasure. She rested her forehead on the back of the couch and panted as she felt the edge approaching fast and let herself relax.

The uncertainty and sexual insecurity Loki felt in a female form was a thing of the past with Tony's expert handling. ...As was her difficulty with reaching orgasm that was due mostly to a lack of familiarity with her own body.

"Anthony!" Loki choked as climax took her and she thrust up against him involuntarily. Tony just gasped quietly as her muscles tensed around him and sent him spiraling into his own release. Breathing heavily, he collapsed on top of her and kissed her cheek.

"Damn I love you so much." He whispered as he withdrew slowly. Loki managed to extricate herself from the tangle of limbs and stretched before shifting back into her usual male form. He'd once mentioned that he didn't like sleeping in a female body; Tony had never pressed the issue. If Loki felt like explaining it, he would.

"I know." Loki said cheekily and ruffled Tony's hair. "You look thoroughly debauched; I approve. Shower?"

Tony looked down at his horrendously wrinkled and disheveled Armani suit. He let out a bark of laughter and allowed Loki to drag him to the bedroom.

_I could get used to days like this, _he thought to himself as his clothes found their way to the pile with Loki's gown and lingerie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:** Back to Normal... Mostly.

* * *

Loki was the first to wake up the following morning, tangled awkwardly in the blankets with his face pressed against Tony's shoulder. He rolled over and managed to wrap the blankets around him properly as he looked out the window at a breathtaking sunrise. Something was wrong though, he could sense it. Uncertainly, he flopped onto his back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Lokes? Everything okay?" Tony asked groggily.

"It's nothing." Loki mumbled and rested his head against Tony's chest, listening to the faint humming from the arc reactor.

"How many times are we going to have to go over the fact that the soul bond makes you physically incapable of lying to me?" Tony inquired seriously. Loki ignored the question, as usual.

"I don't feel quite right. Like something feels is off-balance, if that even makes any sense. I am sure it is nothing serious, so do not worry." Loki assured him, truthfully this time. If something really were wrong, he was sure he would know. Maybe he'd been dreaming something unsettling. Either way, he knew Tony could feel the slight sensation of unease through the bond.

"Hmm, well, let's get dressed, Rudolph. We've got a plane to catch, or Pepper will murder me if I miss that stupid charity gala." Tony said and ran his fingers through Loki's hair. "Well, I own the plane so technically it can wait. Whatever. Details." Loki smiled and pushed himself up so Tony could get out of bed. He went to look out the window at the view of Manhattan in the sunrise as Tony commandeered the bathroom and went through his morning routine. Deciding to be productive, Loki threw on the overcoat from Tony's suit that had ended up on the floor the night before, and wandered into the lounge to make coffee – seeing as his _husband _was thoroughly useless without the bitter liquid.

As Loki poured the beans into the grinder, the sound of the bell for the elevator ringing made him jump and he dumped some of the beans. Luckily, he managed to clean them up before whoever was brave enough to come up here the morning after the wedding didn't see the mess he made. ...At least he was standing behind the bar so hopefully they wouldn't realize that he was completely naked under Tony's jacket. ...Not that he really cared about that, but Loki didn't want to end up being the one responsible for soiling Steve Rogers' virgin mind.

Luckily, it was Natasha. He watched her for a few seconds as she tucked a few strands of red hair behind her ear and looked around.

"Good morning, Lady Spider." Loki said blankly and raised his eyebrows. "You are brave coming up here, the Norns only know what you might have witnessed." Natasha looked in his direction, and noted Tony's wrinkled jacket thrown loosely over his shoulders and buttoned only at the waist.

"Judging by the state of that two thousand dollar suit jacket, I have a few guesses." She said wryly and sat on one of the bar stools. "I'm not here because of that. I'm here because we have an... Avengerly problem and Tony shut Jarvis off on this floor last night so we couldn't get a hold of him. Also, yes, I _was_ the only one brave enough to waltz on up here. Or just the one with the least amount of shame who's probably seen anything you two might have been up to a thousand times already." Loki snorted, but chose to believe her. The widow had that kind of aura about her; he'd always thought so.

"At least allow Anthony to have his coffee first; you should know he is impossible without it." Loki said as he turned on the bean grinder and measured out the water. "What is going on now?"

"I'll just tell you both at the same time." Natasha said with a shrug. "No sense in repeating myself."

"As you wish. Coffee?" Loki drawled.

"No, already had mine." Natasha said vacantly and stared at the couch for a moment. Loki tried not to imagine Tony fucking him into it with everything he had.

"It isn't poisoned." Loki said jokingly and the ghost of a smile tugged at Natasha's lips.

"Already got the coffee going? Damn I picked a good wife. Or is it husband? You're not a chick right now... Ergh!" Loki rolled his eyes and Natasha giggled as Tony strode out into the lounge stark naked with a tablet in his hand. ...Which he dropped in the middle of the floor, and scurried back into the room with undignified squeak.

"Nothing I haven't seen before, Stark!" Natasha called as Loki burst into laughter at the look on Tony's face. He had virtually no shame, but Natasha had caught him by surprise.

"Oh for the love of – Anthony, that is worse than nothing." Loki accused when Tony came back out with a shit eating grin and Loki's lace bra covering his unmentionables.

"Nothing she hasn't seen before, but I swear I didn't fuck her. I'm not suicidal." He said and leaned against the bar next to Natasha. "So, to whom do I owe the pleasure of this rather awkward visit?"

"Fury. There's doombots all over midtown. You'd be able to see if your windows faced the other way. So suck down that coffee, suit up and get your asses down there. The others should already be there. Your elf friends that stayed the night went to help too." Natasha explained pointedly.

"Leave some for me, all right?" Tony said as he ran back into the bedroom to dig for clothes. Loki just snapped his fingers and his Asgardian leathers appeared, complete with armor and his horned golden helmet. Tony's jacket returned silently to it's place in the clothing heap on the floor in their room.

"Taure and Elindar are still here?" Loki asked curiously.

"Yeah, so are your mother and Thor. They decided to wait until morning to go home. Mostly because Thor actually managed to get drunk at the wedding." Natasha explained as Tony came running, pulling on a shirt as he shut the door behind him.

"Jarvis, deploy the Mark 43." He said and downed his coffee in one gulp the second Loki handed it to him.

"Will do, Sir." The AI replied, coming back online at Tony's command. Natasha nodded to Tony and headed for the elevator. Loki followed him onto the balcony, and Jarvis locked the door for them when they were both outside. Tony had made some changes to the Valkyrie to give it remote control capabilities. It functioned at a basic level, but with the bit of magic Loki taught him to assemble the unreasonably complex suit without robots, he was able to have almost total control over it so long as he was close enough to manipulate it. So, he could have Jarvis deploy it from the workshop instead of having to waste valuable time going down there himself. He could also summon it to himself via magic without Jarvis if need be.

Tony closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts enough to focus entirely on the suit and the assembly process as it began to rebuild itself around him.

"Jarvis, run a quick diagnostic scan." He ordered as it finished and Loki came to his side. Tony wasn't quite sure of himself where magic was concerned, so he always liked to have Jarvis double to check to make sure it was put together properly when possible.

"All systems are up and running. Everything is in order, Sir." Jarvis replied.

"Awesome. Let's go kick some ass." Tony said and rocketed in the direction being displayed on his HUD. Loki waited for him to land on a rooftop near the scene and teleported to his side. In the street below them, they could see Taure as he absolutely decimated four doombots advancing on him in a gout of arcane fire that Loki knew was hotter than any natural inferno. Tony looked down at the lumps of molten metal in awe as the red-headed elven healer ran back in the direction of the main road, oblivious that he was being watched.

"Damn. Remind me not to piss him off." Tony said and followed in the sky. Loki smiled knowingly and teleported to the ground where he took out a Doombot about to attack Clint with a blast of lightening magic.

"Thanks for the save, _wifey._" Clint said, smirking.

"Sure thing,_ Katniss._" Loki retorted. Clint winced, not expecting Loki to stoop to that level, but really, he should have seen it coming. He was a _Stark _now, after all.

Tony took out the airborne doombots easily as Loki's enchantment on his armor stopped them from being able to do any damage. Elindar caught his eye in an alleyway below as he sliced a doombot to ribbons with his blade as easily as a chef might dice an onion. Tony really had to wonder what the fuck that sword was made out of if it could cut through metal like that, unless it was some kind of enchantment. He landed near the raven-haired elf and pointed in the direction of the main road.

"Natasha and Steve could use some back-up. Tony said. Elindar examined Tony's armor curiously for a second and set off in the direction he indicated without a word. Tony hoped he'd get the chance to sit down and chat with him one of these days. According to Loki and Taure, Elindar was a master weapon and armor smith who was also an enchanter that was second to none. That, Tony was sure, was the elven equivalent of being a nerdy ass genius engineer.

What really surprised Tony was Frigga. He hadn't expected the queen of Asgard to join the fray, yet there she was – kicking some serious ass. The magic she used felt similar to Loki's, and it seemed like she was manipulating it to make the doombots self-destruct, or occasionally dismantle themselves, shedding lost parts all over the street. As he blasted a doombot out of the air, he saw one get a little too close to Frigga and she summoned a pair of short swords from seemingly nowhere. She called some kind of electrical current into the blades, and fried the doombot with ease.

_Note to self, don't piss off your mother-in-law either._ Tony noted and landed on the ground beside Steve and Elindar who were surrounded by a whole flock of the damn things. With Tony's help, they made short work of them.

"Jarvis how many more are there?" Tony asked and looked toward the sky, where he saw Loki kick one off a rooftop and cook it with a fireball similar to what Taure had been using. It fell to the ground with a clang and cracked the pavement.

"Three, sir. One is to your left, the other two are above you." Just as Jarvis spoke the words, Steve's Shield made contact the one that was close by and the other two dropped out of the sky as Mjolnir collided with them. "That is all of them, Sir." Jarvis confirmed. Tony flipped back his faceplate, desperate for fresh air. The suit had a filtration system of course, but it still got stuffy sometimes.

"That was the last of them according to my sensors." He told Steve and Elindar. Loki appeared beside him, followed by Thor who dropped out of the sky.

"What _are_ these things?" Elindar asked, blue eyes wide in fascination.

"An insult to_ real_ robots." Tony said with a smirk. "Everyone accounted for?" He added into the comm links and received affirmative replies as Taure wandered out of an alley to join them, curiously inspecting a broken strut from a doombot as he walked. The sleeve of his robe was singed, but otherwise he was in one piece just as the others were. He tossed the bit of scrap metal aside and gave Tony a familiar smile.

"Hmm. It's been far too long since I incinerated something. It is rather liberating." He said cheerfully, which made Tony and Steve laugh.

"That does not sound like you." Frigga said as she made her way daintily back to the group, with not a single spot or tear on her golden dress. Natasha and Clint showed up last, and were by far the most beaten up of the group.

"Well, that was invigorating. Who's up for shawarma?" Tony suggested.

"Dude, I am _always _up for shawarma." Clint piped up. Natasha and Loki wore an identical expression of boredom. Steve shrugged, and their otherworldly visitors were all too eager to indulge in more Midgardian cuisine.

Tony had to admit, it was the weirdest shawarma date yet, and they'd had some pretty weird ones. Frigga absolutely _loved_ it, and had an appetite to rival Thor's – just with actual table manners. She ate three whole orders of it by herself. Loki, as usual, ordered a salad which he ended up sharing with Taure. Elindar agreed with Frigga, and ate Taure's abandoned portion. All in all, if the staff didn't know the Avengers already had two space vikings in their little super secret boyband, they probably would have thought they were a bunch of nuts in town for an anime con.

Thor took a couple orders to go for Liriel and Jane who had remained back at the Tower. Tony and Taure had a bet against Thor that Liriel wouldn't eat it if it wasn't doused in honey or syrup. Because really, he'd never seen Taure's apprentice touch food that wasn't sweet. Ironically, neither had Taure.

* * *

Tony and Taure were right, Liriel took one look at the shawarma and turned her nose up. As did Jane, though she eventually caved and tried it when Thor did the whole sad puppy routine. The enigmatic blonde-haired elven woman, however, would have no part of it.

Tony still wanted to ask Liriel about her involvement in inventing the magic behind the soul bond, but he and Loki never really had the chance. He also had a bit of a feeling that Liriel would either vehemently deny it, or refuse to say a word. She generally had a flighty, cheerful personality, but sometimes Tony could swear he saw something else there, too. Something... _haunted_, for lack of a better word.

In the end, Thor and Co. decided to stay another night. None of the residents of Stark Tower (meaning the Avengers) really cared. They were a huge help in the battle against the doombots, and admittedly if it was just them it might not have turned out so well.

For Tony and Loki, the rest of the afternoon was spent in the workshop with Elindar who insisted on learning more about Midgardian technology. Like Loki, he easily grasped technical concepts and was completely amazed when he learned that Jarvis was not indeed a living human being. He praised Loki's enchantments when they showed him the Valkyrie, which he had been curious about after seeing it in action.

"I'd let you take the Mark III for a joy ride, but you're way too tall to fit in any of them." Tony said sadly. Elindar was like a kid with a new toy and it was adorable. Though, Loki had to admit, the elven lord looked very different dressed in plain grey ceremonial robes that were somehow spotless after the fight. He was usually wearing various impressive self-made enchanted suits of armor, crafted from the finest ebony that he usually had to pay the dwarves an arm and a leg to obtain.

"Oh no, I do not think I am made for flying, Mr. Stark. I rather detest heights." Elindar said cordially, and whirled around in surprise when Taure walked out of the elevator. "This armor is incredible. I wonder if I could make something similar powered by magic." He said excitedly to the healer. Taure just laughed and threw his arm around his husband's shoulders.

"What would you do with it? You would vomit into the helmet if you tried to fly." Taure said, chuckling as he recalled an obviously fond memory. Elindar pouted and conceded that there was no point in it, for him or the elven military – most of what the suit could do was achievable much more easily through magic. ...And almost everyone in Alfheim was capable of wielding magic in some form.

"Yeah, you don't want to do that. I went flying with a hangover once – it wasn't pretty and it _still_ smells funky." Tony said, laughing. "...Which is why I purposely let Rhodey have the original Mark II, by the way." He added to Loki who chuckled. He'd met Colonel Rhodes, also known as the Iron Patriot (though he by far preferred War Machine) at the wedding as one of Tony's groomsmen. Now he'd never be able to look him in the eye without thinking of Tony ralphing in his armor.

Loki wandered away from Tony and the two elves who fell into a sort of technical banter for dummies. He sat at the desk and looked at Tony's blueprints for a new, significantly more cost effective model of the arc reactor that powered the Tower and all major Stark Industries buildings. As he flicked through the holograms, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't _right._

_What is wrong with me? I feel fine, yet something is off-balance..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:** Pickles and Ice Cream

* * *

The following morning Thor and the others returned to their respective realms. Bruce had been there, too, but left to catch a plane to India to do some Peace Corps work in Calcutta. He'd managed to miss the whole doombot nightmare while he was working in a small clinic in the Bronx for the day. Tony left shortly afterward to attend a press conference about a Starkphone and a board meeting after that. Loki spent the day curled up on a couch on the common floor reading _Macbeth._

When the tower was rebuilt, Tony included a new floor below the penthouse with a lounge for the Avengers to hang out in during their downtime. It was furnished with a few couches, some nice squishy arm chairs, a kitchenette and a large round table big enough for them all to crowd around for meals together. He even had Pepper working on the zoning to rename the tower as Avengers Tower.

Currently, the room was occupied by Loki, Natasha and Steve. Natasha was playing a video game, some kind of hunting simulation, and Steve was cooking pasta for lunch that smelled absolutely amazing. Loki still had a hard time understanding how quickly and easily the rag-tag group had fallen into such a comfortable domestic routine. Not only that, but they all accepted the trickster as one of their own – even Clint. Granted, he and Clint didn't always see eye to eye, but the archer had long since managed to forgive him for the whole mind control thing. He really couldn't hold it against him anymore after Tony told him about Loki being tortured and put under a similar hypnosis by the leader of the Chitauri.

Natasha's focus was anywhere but the game. She tutted in annoyance when she noticed a bear escaped her because she was too busy watching Loki out of the corner of her eye. Something about him seemed off, and she knew it. He obviously wasn't any more absorbed in the book he was reading than she was in the video game.

"Something bothering you?" She said to the demi-god. He looked up from the book, knowing instinctively that she was talking to him and not Steve.

"Somewhat. But it is not important." Loki said shortly.

"Don't tell me you had a bad night?" Natasha said, smirking.

"No. Something is wrong with my magic. I cannot shapeshift, not since I changed back into this form after the wedding." Loki replied, knowing there wasn't much point in lying to Natasha. Even half-truths she saw for what they were.

"Weird. I wonder what would cause that." Steve commented, handing them both a bowl of pasta and sitting down on the couch near Natasha with his own.

"Thank you. And I do not know. I would have asked Taure or my mother, had I noticed before they left this morning." Loki said irritably. "I suppose now I will just have to figure it out on my own. ...Annoying."

"You feel all right, though?" Natasha asked, concerned. For a moment, the fact that she actually _cared _completely overwhelmed Loki.

"Yes, though I have this odd feeling that something is wrong with me, but nothing actually indicates that there _is_ anything to worry about. It must be nothing." Loki explained. Steve shrugged, and Loki ate some of the pasta that was topped with tomato sauce and vegetables. It tasted every bit as good as it smelled.

"Hmm. Did you tell Tony about any of this?" Steve asked. "He _is _your husband."

"He can see and hear my every thought." Loki said pointedly. "There are no secrets between us."

"Well, hopefully whatever it is isn't a big deal." Steve said reassuringly. Loki snorted and finished his pasta.

* * *

Tony sat in the Stark Industries board meeting room tapping the end of his pen on the table as Pepper outlined the quarterly expenses and stock analysis for the company. All in all, things were going well and the transition from weapons development to clean energy was slowly but surely gaining solid footing. A few more breakthroughs, and Stark Industries would be the world leader the energy market.

Still, it was boring – as board meetings _always_ were. Tony's eyes darted to the clock mounted on the wall above Pepper's head. He could swear he heard it ticking, or maybe that was his pen as it kept hitting the glass tabletop. He sat it aside and glanced at the simple platinum wedding band encircling his left ring finger. Tony slipped his hands under the table and distractedly ran his finger across the the smooth metal surface. Crafted by Loki of solid platinum, with the shrapnel that Taure had dug out of his chest melted into the metal and engraved on the inside with the words 'Your safeword is magpie', it was the perfect symbol of his and Loki's relationship.

He heard Loki's conversation with Steve and Natasha, not because he was particularly listening, but because Loki had wanted him to. He could never truly tune Loki's thoughts out, but they sometimes faded into the background unless Loki specifically called attention to them. It was the same for him, Tony knew. But he couldn't shapeshift? _What could that possibly mean?_

"Mr. Stark?" Tony looked up at Pepper and blinked.

"Huh, I'm sorry Peps. You know I have the attention span of a particularly dumb goldfish. What's up?" He said apologetically. A couple of the board members snickered, but most of them were as unamused as always.

"The board is wondering when we will have a prototype of the arc reactor mark VII." Pepper said in a tone that obviously suggested she'd already asked and had to repeat herself.

"Jarvis, bring up the specs. Tony said and dropped his tablet in the center of the table so a hologram projection of the reactor blueprints floated above the table. Tony went through and selected a few to show the board. "As you can see, the design is complete, but I'm having some issues getting it to maintain a steady current using low-cost materials. I have a few more things to run through, but once I solve that riddle construction of a prototype should take about a week." He explained and sat back down, thinking only of Loki and what he'd said about not feeling quite right.

"We can work with that." One of the directors, a pudgy middle aged man with an unruly grey beard that reminded Tony painfully of Obediah, said blandly. "Keep us updated."

"Will do." Tony said. "Was there anything else, Miss Potts?"

"No, that's all for today. I guess we can wrap it up." She said and the directors began filtering out of the room. Tony sighed heavily, thankful that no one had been a pain in the ass about Loki other than a few of them sarcastically congratulating him on his marriage. But that, he could live with.

"Everything okay, Tony?" Pepper asked, perceptive as always.

"Hmm? Yeah. Just trying to think of how I'm going to pull this reactor out of my ass. The only thing I've found other than palladium that works is in this thing." He said and tapped the miniaturized reactor in his chest. "Though, that could cost ten times as much as it already does to manufacture. At least palladium naturally exists on earth."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. Stop worrying for now. Don't you have a honeymoon to plan?" Pepper said with a wink.

"Already done; we're going to Disney Land in Florida in the winter because Loki's like two years old and won at rock paper scissors." Tony said and rolled his eyes. Either way, a couple of grown ass men taking Disney Land by storm was bound to be epic. Pepper shook her head and smiled as she came to the same conclusion. "Anyway, the board's not pissy about me missing that stupid charity gala yesterday because that doombot fiasco, are they?"

"They'll get over it. The arc reactor prototype is the main thing they care about right now." Pepper told him reassuringly.

"...'Cause that makes it _less_ stressful somehow." Tony muttered mutinously. "Well, I'm gonna blow this joint. Hold down the fort for me, yeah?"

"Of course, Tony." Pepper said sarcastically and shooed him out of the door. They both knew that the board meeting room was one of Tony's least favorite places on earth, possibly only beaten out by the dentist.

* * *

The weeks that followed did so at a snail's pace. The honeymoon wouldn't be until the winter, Tony didn't feel like going to Disney Land in the summer – it was sure to be crawling with demon children. That, and despite Loki's protests, he knew the demi-god would be miserable if they went now. Due to his frost giant nature, Loki had a relatively low tolerance for hot weather. Florida was hot as balls and humid in the summer; Loki wouldn't be able to stand it. It took some convincing to put the honeymoon on hold, but eventually Loki gave in.

Otherwise, life at Stark Tower went on as usual, punctuated by the occasional hydra goons or doombot invasion. Tony really had to wonder why Doom even _bothered._ If his shitty tech wasn't good enough the first time, you'd think he'd at least give it an upgrade before he sent in another batch of the same things in a slightly different spot. At least Hydra kept them on their toes, not that they should be particularly overjoyed by that.

Eventually the media started to calm down over Tony and Loki's wedding, though for all their mocking and libel, the season's new fashion for wedding gowns looked suspiciously similar to Loki's custom designed monstrosity. Speaking of Loki, he hadn't quite been himself since mentioning that he couldn't shapeshift. Tony knew he'd spent hours, neck deep in the internet (because why the hell not?), and the supply of spellbooks that Frigga had brought from Asgard for him looking for an answer. In the end, he _still_ hadn't figured anything out, and it was driving him up a wall. Loki could go from being completely fine one moment to raging in the next due to the frustration of it all.

Though, his sex drive hadn't really suffered for it and Tony spent more time than usual tied to the bed letting Loki take out his aggression on him instead of bickering with the others. Not that he minded, Angry sex with Loki was nothing if not _fucking amazing._

About six weeks later, everything went to hell. Well, kind of.

* * *

Tony dragged himself back to the now officially renamed Avenger's Tower around 10pm after the official shittiest board meeting ever. His progress with the reactor was minimal, and the board was _not _happy about it. Pepper, was giving him the evil eye too. It wasn't for lack of trying; he just couldn't make it work while keeping it economical to mass produce. He thought of having Loki try some voodoo to smooth out the issues, but it wouldn't work in the long-run because he was pretty sure the guys in the factories didn't have space viking mojo.

Either way, Tony just positively wanted to kill something as he wandered into the Avenger's lounge, loosening his tie as he went. Loki, Natasha, Clint and Steve were all there chowing down on McDonald's since Natasha's attempts at cooking had failed spectacularly. Tony raised his eyebrows curiously as he watched Loki bite into a Big Mac and savor it like there was no tomorrow.

"Okay, since when do you eat fast food? Last time I suggested it, it ended up with me almost leaving you on the side of the highway because you got so offended over the idea of me making you even _consider_ eating it." Tony said and grabbed Clint's fries. The archer was too busy stealing a chicken nugget from Steve to even notice. Loki swallowed and looked at the offending half-eaten cheeseburger curiously.

"Honestly, I don't know. I do no even like meat, usually. It should be repulsive –_ is _repulsive, but it is _delicious._" Loki said and took another bite.

"Right, sure. If it's any consolation, there's probably only a smidgen of actual meat in it." Tony mumbled, thoroughly confused. "Steve, can I get a nugget? Stark Employees don't get fed at meetings. Apparently giving ornery board members food just makes them into gremlins." Steve just sighed and passed him a few chicken nuggets and some honey mustard dip.

"So, judging by your shitty attitude, I'm guessing the meeting didn't go well." Clint observed. "Wait? Where the fuck are my fries? Which one of you assholes took my damn fries?"

Tony shoved the fries beside him out of Clint's sight. "Nope. Not at all. Apparently they expect me to pull a low-cost, high-efficiency arc reactor out of my ass. I mean, the design and math I can do. The problem is actually stabilizing it, and there's not a single metal on earth with the right chemical makeup to maintain it for a reasonable amount of time – other than palladium." Tony said miserably.

"Right, 99.9% of that is gibberish to the rest of us Neanderthals. Whatever." Clint said, shoving his mouth full of Natasha's fries. She snatched them and held them out of his reach with a feral glint in her eyes.

"Maybe you need to try something other than metal to stabilize it?" Natasha suggested, dipping a couple fries in some barbeque sauce.

"No, it has to be metal based in order to conduct and disperse the electrical flow. Anything else won't hold up to the amount of electricity passing through it." Tony said and bit into a chicken nugget far more ferociously than entirely necessary.

"Do we have any ice cream?" Loki interjected, licking ketchup off his fingers. Tony's eyes met Natasha's and for just a second, he saw them widen as some kind of comprehension dawned on her.

"...What?" He asked her. She just shook her head, glanced at Loki and then back to Tony, obviously trying to figure out some kind of messed up mental equation.

"I think there's some vanilla left." Steve said to Loki, completely unaware of the little exchange between Tony and Natasha. Loki got up to raid the freezer and came back with a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with...

"Are those _pickles_? Dude, that's just _nasty._" Clint said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Tony just shrugged and scarfed down the rest of Clint's fries; he'd seen Loki eat _way_ weirder shit during their stay in Alfheim. Some of that was _definitely_ an acquired taste, so Loki putting pickles in his ice cream didn't really set off any alarms for Tony.

...Maybe it _should _have.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:** Denial

* * *

Tony hadn't thought much of Loki's sudden love for McDonald's cheeseburgers until two days later, when they were out running errands. Pepper had become Stark Industries' CEO full time, leaving the Avengers to their own devices. That meant they had to do their own grocery shopping and other BS. At least they all took turns, and divided the chores evenly amongst themselves.

_Like civilized adults. _

"Can we go to the McDonald's for lunch?" Loki asked suddenly as Tony fiddled with his corvette's stereo while they sat at a traffic light on the way to the supermarket. ...Tony fucking Stark, pushing a cart through the Walmart. Who would have ever seen _that _coming? He looked over at the trickster curiously and frowned.

"Okay... What, do you have a craving for Midgardian slop or something there, Prancer?" Tony asked, surprised by his sudden interest in junk food. _Wait... Cravings, mood swings...? Is he..?_

"Oddly enough, I do. And what you are thinking of is physically impossible." Loki retorted.

"Well thank the _Norns_ for that." Tony said and laughed, wondering why he'd even thought of it in the first place. They _had _discussed having children in the future, but were earnestly in agreement that now was just _not_ the time for it. They were anything but ready to be parents. Besides, Loki would have to be in a female to get pregnant... _Unless..._

_I'm overreacting, I'm sure he'd know if he was pregnant._

"_I should certainly hope so, idiot."_ Loki replied, silently. "So, can we go there for lunch or not, dearest?" Loki added aloud.

"Huh? Yeah, sure."

* * *

"Steve, do you have a minute?" Natasha called, barely catching the super soldier as she stepped out of the elevator on the common floor. He was halfway to the stairs (he always took the stairs) and figured he'd hit the gym before he headed out to the library to go pick up some of the books Tony had insisted that he needed to read. ...In order to get up to speed on the 21st century. He really hoped they weren't porn, and the sweet old lady at the check out counter wouldn't give him a wry, judgmental look.

"Sure, what's up, Nat?" He asked, giving her his usual winning smile.

"I've got to run to the SHIELD base, Fury's got his panties in a twist over something. Look, keep an eye on Loki. I think something's up with him, and Tony hasn't noticed any more than Loki has himself." Natasha explained. "Just tell me if he does anything weird."

"You don't think he's going to betray us, do you?" Steve asked uncertainly Natasha snorted and shook her head as she sat on the armrest to one of the large leather couches.

"No, but if my hunch is correct, well... Things are going to get pretty crazy around here soon." She said enigmatically. "See you later, have fun at the gym." Natasha added in clear dismissal.

_Well that was weird... _Steve thought to himself as he bounded down the stairs, three at a time.

* * *

"Loki, are you _sure_ you're not pregnant?" Tony whined, hovering in the doorway of their bathroom the next morning. "I mean, not for nothing, but I've _never _seen you puke or be nauseated in the _slightest_."

Loki rested his head on the toilet seat and gave Tony a glare that could have frozen him solid where he stood. He groaned and closed his eyes. Tony had a point, Loki had _never _vomited before. _Ever. _Never once in his entire thousand and some odd years of life_. _Not even that one time he _spectacularly_ lost a drinking contest to Thor in his youth, that had left him so intoxicated that he hallucinated for three days straight.

"_Must be the Midgardian trash I have been eating lately._" Loki assumed, not daring to speak aloud least he endure that absolutely revolting sensation again. His body wasn't used to such chemical-ridden food, so _obviously_ it was making him ill. Tony heaved a sigh and wandered back into the lounge.

"My mom used to make me peppermint tea when I got sick as a kid, it always used to make me feel better. ...Even when I got older and discovered the horror of hangovers. I think I still have some; I'll make a cup for you." Tony suggested. Loki just grunted in reply, terrified to move from the spot he was in.

"Jarvis, call Bruce for me." Tony said when he was out in the lounge and put a mug of water in the microwave under the bar to heat it up.

"Will do, Sir." The AI replied.

"For the last time, I am NOT PREGNANT!" Loki yelled, followed by another nasty fit of retching. Tony winced and waited for Bruce to pick up.

"Tony? Is everything all right?" The doctor, and occasionally giant green rage monster's voice came over the PA.

"Hm, where are you currently?" Tony asked, nearly burning himself on the hot mug as he took it out of the microwave and dropped a teabag in it.

"Just getting back to New York, why?" He replied, sounding worried.

"Get over here. I need you. Just come to the penthouse." Tony said pointedly and hung up. "Here, drink this, it'll make you feel better." Tony added to Loki as he glared daggers at him but snatched the mug of tea anyway. Regardless of circumstances, Loki knew enough about the medicinal effects of herbs to know that, yes, mint does help with nausea.

* * *

It took Bruce about twenty minutes to make it to the Tower. He wasn't sure if he was glad there was no one on the ground floor to follow him to the penthouse, or freaked out because the last time Tony had called him like that... Well, It wasn't pretty and Clint had spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from getting his ass kicked by a squad of Hydra goons that _somehow _managed to catch him by surprise.

Not that the archer would ever admit it.

No, this wasn't going to be good.

When he got to the penthouse, he was at least relieved that there didn't appear to be any blood anywhere. The first thing that caught his eye was Loki curled up on one of the bar stools, resting his head on the counter. He was cocooned in Tony's bedspread, with his now waist-length raven hair all frizzed out and sticking up at odd angles, clinging to a cup of tea like his life depended on it. _Mint_. Bruce noted by the scent in the air. Tony was sitting across from him, and looked up when he heard the elevator doors close behind Bruce.

"There is _nothing_ wrong with me." Loki muttered defiantly.

"He's developed weird ass food cravings, crazy mood swings and now he's puking his guts out, _do not _listen to him." Tony snapped and glowered at Loki. Bruce raised his eyebrows.

"Are you saying he's pregnant, Tony? I'm not exactly an expert on alien biology, but that's kind of outlandish considering he's not a female at the moment... Or at least not visibly. He's also _usually_ a little on the moody side, as I'm _sure_ you're aware." Bruce said and pushed his glasses up further on his nose. "Maybe a food intolerance?"

"Most likely." Loki replied, thankful that Bruce could see reason.

"Still, maybe you should take a look at him? He was eating ice cream with _pickles _in it for fuck's sake!" Tony whined. Loki sighed angrily and took a sip of the tea.

"Loki will have to consent to that." Bruce said, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Leave it to Tony to think he somehow knocked up his _husband._

"Fine, but only to set your mind at ease because this is absolutely idiotic." Loki said in a half-assed attempt at sarcasm. He slid off the stool and unsteadily found his way to the couch.

"How have you been feeling otherwise?" Bruce asked and dug through his bag.

"Fine, aside from this morning." Loki mumbled as Bruce sat down next to him, with a notepad and pen in hand.

"He's lying." Tony said immediately. Loki rolled his eyes theatrically.

"I cannot shapeshift for some reason, and for a while I have felt... unbalanced for lack of a better word. It seems to be a problem with my magic." He replied.

"When did that feeling start?" Bruce asked.

"The morning after the wedding." Loki supplied, sounding bored.

"That was... About a month and a half ago. Assuming Tony's theory is in any way correct, that _would _be the normal time frame for morning sickness to begin in a pregnancy." Bruce said thoughtfully. Loki just muttered disgustedly under his breath. "Can shapeshifters change their form if they're pregnant?"

Loki was about to say 'yes' Tony could tell, but he hesitated uncertainly. Instead, he summoned one of his spellbooks that he so far hadn't touched in his quest for self-diagnosis because it seemed thoroughly irrelevant. He flipped through the dusty old tome that looked like total gibberish to Bruce. Tony could probably read it with the All-Speak; whether he'd actually understand it was an entirely different issue, however. He could, through Loki's eyes, see that it was more or less explaining the magic that shapeshifters use to shift into different bodies – something Loki obviously wouldn't have thought twice about or needed to consult in his search. It was like a beginner's guide to growing a quim or something, as far as Tony could tell.

Eventually Loki came to the page he wanted and poured over it for a few minutes. His eyes widened for a moment and he shut the book and stared ahead of himself in a state of shock, that Tony felt keenly through their bond.

"It says two things of interest. One: No, a shapeshifter cannot change their form once conception has occurred. They only regain that ability about a month after giving birth, once they are fully recovered. Two: It is theoretically possible to shift between forms as conception is occurring, leading to the possibility of a male becoming pregnant. There were a few documented cases of this happening - the shapeshifter would have the necessary female parts _inside_, leading to a conflict in the flow of their magical aura than can cause a relatively harmless feeling of being... unbalanced." He dropped the book in utter disgust and held his head in his hands as he tried to reign in his emotions that were running wild. Tony thought for a moment that he might actually pass out in horror.

"Well... That's... _Damn_." Tony stammered, recalling that they had _very_ uncharacteristically forgotten to use a condom on their wedding night, when Loki was in a female form. _How the fuck did I let that happen?_

"_How the fuck did _I _let that happen?" _Loki mused in reply, still staring wide eyed at the book on the floor in front of him.

"Perhaps we should run an ultrasound? I'm pretty sure there's one in the medical suite downstairs, though I've never had to use it to put any of you back together after a fight." Bruce suggested, looking as lost and confused as they did.

"...Why the hell do we even _have_ that?" Tony thought aloud. Bruce just shrugged and shook his head vacantly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natasha had returned from the early morning meeting with Fury and sat in the lounge nursing a cup of coffee with Clint. They were both thoroughly pissed off. Fury had no right harassing them at that hour for Doom and his bullshit when the situation was taken care of without even needing the Avengers. Natasha had a suspicion that Fury just wanted to remind them that Doom was _still_ evading arrest and rub their noses in it.

She was _really _getting tired of SHIELD and it's crap.

"Doctor Banner has arrived." Jarvis announced.

"Huh? Wasn't Bruce supposed to be meeting Betty or something today?" Clint asked, frowning.

"Where is he, Jarvis?" Natasha asked, staring into the half-empty contents of her coffee cup.

"On his way to the penthouse, Ma'am." The AI replied.

"Mother of... I _knew _it." Natasha breathed and shook her head in disbelief. "But... _How?"_

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clint asked. Natasha looked up at him and snickered.

"Leave it to Loki and Stark to defy the laws of physics _and _nature." She muttered. "Go take care of the crime scene from earlier. I'll check into the digital records and see if I can find where Doom has his lair this time." Natasha told Clint. He muttered a string of complaints about her taking the fun job and sulked his way to the elevator. Natasha, however, did not go and try to stalk Doom's Facebook (assuming he had one) – she took the stairs to the medical suite and waited, seated on the edge of a metal exam table.

It didn't take long for the elevator to arrive, carrying Bruce with Tony and an utterly _pathetic _looking God of mischief trailing behind them.

"Afternoon, boys. Well, I suppose it's technically morning, but spending it with Fury kind of makes it feel like I wasted the entire day." Natasha said nonchalantly.

"You... You _knew_? How?" Loki said, emerald eyes wide.

"Not really, but I had a hunch, considering your behavior lately. Jarvis saying that Bruce had arrived and was on his way to the penthouse, even though he had a date, kind of confirmed it. I figured that if I waited you'd show up eventually." Natasha explained and smiled sweetly. "Well, this is _really_ something else."

"You're telling me..." Tony muttered and looked away sheepishly.

"Can we _please _get this over with so I can go wallow in self-pity and denial for a few hours?" Loki whined, glancing at Bruce pitifully.

"Of course... Though, I would encourage you two to talk about this, and handle it like the mature adults you're both capable of being. Throwing yourselves a pity party isn't going to help." Bruce told him and smiled softly. "Natasha, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. And please refrain from climbing into the air vents to eavesdrop, unless Tony and Loki don't mind you being here. Being Avengers doesn't deprive them of medical privacy rights."

"She can stay. She will listen somehow anyway." Loki said in defeat, and Natasha smirked evilly.

"Yeah, she's probably got the whole floor bugged already." Tony added with a snort.

"Me? Oh I would never..." Natasha said and winked as she hopped down from the exam table she was sitting on to follow them to the other end of the currently deserted medical floor.

"Sure, and I'm secretly a girl scout. You want some cookies? I'll sell you some if you tell me where the bugs are." Tony said rolling his eyes. "Well, chill out Lokes. It's kind of exciting in a way. We'll get our own little person to corrupt into our sex-driven, morally depraved lifestyle." Loki finally smiled ever so slightly, but didn't say a word.

"Let's get this over with,_ please_." He whined.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:** Confirmation

* * *

"Well, the blood tests are inconclusive, but I kind of expected that given that Loki's biology is apparently completely different from a human's. Honestly, I'm not even entirely sure _how_ you two are able to produce viable offspring considering how genetically different you are. It's like trying to mate a horse with a house cat." Bruce rambled as he went over Loki's test results. Tony chuckled at the mental image of hot horse on cat action; Loki didn't find it at all amusing. Horses were a tender subject for him after his ill-fated reading of the (horribly inaccurate and rather insulting) Poetic Edda.

"So, is he pregnant or not?" Natasha asked, cocking her head to the side. Tony could hear Loki silently thanking her for getting to the point.

"Yes, absolutely." Bruce answered with a nod. "I'm just trying to figure out _how_. It's physically impossible from a scientific point of view, considering their genetic differences."

"Magic?" Tony suggested in a weak attempt to hide his shock at hearing Bruce confirm their suspicions.

"Obviously." Loki said and fidgeted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed near the ultrasound machine that Tony was still trying to figure out _why _they even owned. _"It is probably because of the soul bond, actually." _Loki looked relatively collected on the outside, but Tony could tell that as soon as they were alone there was going to be a meltdown.

An _epic_ meltdown.

He was not going to have fun dealing with that, but deal with it he would. Never let it be said that Tony Stark is incapable of being a caring husband.

"Right, Well, this is... Shit. Listen, you two can break the news to the others. Loki and I need to talk about this. Alone." Tony said pointedly to Natasha who glared daggers at him. He felt Loki relax considerably when they parted ways, Natasha and Bruce heading to the common floor while they made for the penthouse.

"I am... afraid." Loki said awkwardly as he followed Tony and sat beside him on the couch. Talking about feelings wasn't something they liked doing, but learning to live with the soul bond had made it necessary. Granted, mostly they didn't need to _talk _about it anymore because of being able to feel every thought and emotion the other experienced at any given time. Sometimes, though, actual communication was still necessary.

"It'll be fine. You're in good hands. Or, I guess if you'd rather go to Alfheim and talk to Taure about it, we could do that. We can use the secret pathways if you don't want to deal with Thor's inevitable sappy 'I'm going to be an uncle' speech." Tony suggested. Loki thought about it for a moment and shook his head.

"I trust Doctor Banner." Loki sighed. "Why is nothing ever easy?"

"If it was easy, we'd probably be doing it wrong. Not that I'm saying this is right or anything." Tony told him encouragingly. "Come on, this is gonna be exciting! We get to go shopping for all kinds of cute toys and clothes. We'll have to think of names and remodeling the spare bedroom into a kid's room is going to be fun!"

"I figured you would want to make toys." Loki said, finally smiling slightly.

"Uh, no. That could be disastrous. Maybe when it's older and not dumb enough to put things in its mouth." Tony said, laughing. "I'm not sure I can be trusted to make things kid-proof. ...Or if I can be a decent parent at all considering I can't even keep plants alive, but damn it I'm going to try." Loki just sighed and laid his head on Tony's chest, listening to the faint humming of the arc reactor.

"...I amstill scared." Loki said pointedly. "How will I go out in public without being ridiculed when I start showing? Is _every _morning for the next eight months going to be a repeat of this one? I do not care how clean our toilet is, I would rather _not_ spend my mornings on the bathroom floor."

"I think morning sickness stops after a while. And... Well, I don't know but we'll come up with something. I promise." Tony said and ruffled his hair that was a tangled mess.

"How do I actually give birth in this form, even? It is a painful and disgusting affair as it is. ...One which I know very little about as I flat-out _refused_ to learn anything to do with it when I was Taure's student. He will certainly have a thing or three to say about that the next time I see him." Loki muttered, and closed his eyes, trying not think about it.

Well, all right. Tony had to give him that much, it was definitely a scary thought.

"Let's worry about that later, for now we're going to take a shower because your gorgeous hair looks like a dead animal glued to your head." That earned him a quiet snort of laughter and a genuine smile.

"I feel like a nearly dead animal. I think it suits me at this particular moment." Loki retorted and allowed himself to be steered into the bathroom by Tony who was grinning like an idiot.

Loki sighed quietly as Tony pressed him up against the shower wall and kissed his throat. Sometimes, Loki found their height difference incredibly amusing. Tony had to stand on his toes to be able to kiss him on the lips if Loki didn't lean down for him. It was all rather endearing, though he wasn't in the mood for it. He kind of wanted to curl up in the middle of the bed and cry, but he knew that wouldn't solve anything.

He abhorred weakness, most of all in himself.

Instead, he let his thoughts drift away and melted into Tony's touches. Tony wasn't always the best at finding the words in tricky emotional discussions, but one thing he could do was use his touch to do it for him. ...In more ways than one. Loki hadn't needed various teas and herbal remedies to control his anxiety in ages; all it took was Tony's touch. Sometimes, just his presence was enough.

"I should write a book." Tony said, catching Loki's train of though. "Tony Stark's guide to the proper handling of psychotic demi-gods."

"I am not, nor was I ever psychotic." Loki mumbled, wrapping his arms around Tony's waist to keep his balance. The engineer's ministrations and the warm water running over them was putting him to sleep.

"Sarcasm, honey." Tony told him and worked Loki's unreasonably expensive shampoo into his hair. He sighed softly and made a small sound of contentment. Tony knew Loki had some kind of kink for him washing and brushing his hair out for him, which was fine because Tony had a kink for his hair in general. Loki breathed in the sweet floral scent of the soap and slipped his hand between Tony's legs to stroke his already hard cock. Loki's took a little coaxing from a slightly calloused hand covered in shampoo to come to full attention.

"Shower sex makes everything better." Tony commented happily as he rinsed Loki's hair clean and the trickster leaned into the touch.

"Please take me this time. Gently." Loki told him and Tony answered with a soft chuckle and a light nip at his throat. His breath hitched as he felt Tony slide a finger inside of him. He hadn't let Tony top since the wedding night; he'd been too irritable and preferred to take his aggression out on him instead. He supposed he was lucky Tony forgave for him for that. Usually when it came to sex neither of them was clearly the dominate, as they just went with whatever they were in the mood for – considering both of them had their moments of arrogance and need for control.

Speaking of moods, right now Loki just needed some good old fashioned comfort sex and Tony was more than happy to give it to him. ..._Gently_, of course. Since he'd asked so nicely.

Loki didn't even realize he had an epic headache brewing until he noticed how good the cool shower tiles felt against his temple when he rested his head against the wall, after Tony turned him around. Tony's lips were on his shoulder, and his hands on his hips, as put himself in position and pushed his way in slowly. Loki moaned softly and Tony stayed still while he buried his face in Loki's wet hair, breathing in the flowery scent of the shampoo and trailed light touches across his chest and stomach.

When he moved, it was slowly with only a slight rocking of his hips which Loki enjoyed immensely.

That was what Tony loved most about Loki when it came to sex – it was always different. Always something _new._ Loki liked it rough and naughty as much as he liked to be handled like some kind of precious virgin. Which meant that he was also willing to try just about anything once, and relished in indulging Tony's dirtiest fantasies. But the real blessing was the fact the constant change meant Tony never got the chance to be bored with Loki, which was what ultimately destroyed his relationship with Pepper.

"Mmm. You're not going to be able to distract me with me sex forever." Loki murmured softly. "Sooner or later I'll..."

"Shh. No panicking. Everything's going to be fine." Tony assured him, speeding up the pace slightly and reveling in the warmth of Loki surrounding him. Loki mewled in pleasure as Tony kissed his face and stroked his cock with a feather-light touch. Loki wrinkled his nose as Tony's goatee tickled his cheek. It always amazed him how gentle Tony's touches could be, for someone who's hands were rough from constantly working with them.

Loki was pretty sure the only thing holding him upright was Tony's weight against him. The water that was almost too hot for him to tolerate and Tony's maddeningly slow pace was making him feel like he was melting. He was so lost in it all that when his climax arrived, it took him completely by surprise. He came with the most adorable little whimper, and flopped bonelessly against Tony as he sped up a bit and brought himself over the edge as well.

Tony sighed contently and watched as the water washed away the evidence of Loki's release. Loki just breathed slowly and wrapped himself around Tony. _Yeah, I'm betting I can distract him with sex for a lot longer than he thinks... _

A short while later, Loki was changed into clean green silk pajamas and propped up on a pile of pillows on the sofa in the lounge while Tony brushed out his hair (that was _still _a mess). He closed his eyes and floated somewhere between sleep and consciousness as Tony gently worked out the tangles. He didn't even notice when the bell for the elevator rang. Tony just ignored it, as usual.

"Ugh. Jarvis said it was _safe_." Tony rolled his rolled his eyes and glared at Steve and... Pepper?

_What the hell? When did she get here? _

Loki was still off in his own little world – laying across his pile of pillows with a content smile on his face and hadn't noticed them.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Captain Cockblock. We're both dressed. That's about as 'safe' as you're gonna get with us." Tony said, rolling his eyes. Pepper snorted, but obviously agreed.

"So, uh, I think I know why you're here..." Tony began, letting his voice trail off as he looked down at Loki who frowned when he stopped brushing his hair. Irritably, he looked up and decided to continue ignoring Steve and Pepper's presence.

"...What? You actually remembered the charity event tonight? The one that you didn't need to go to, but Steve thought the Avengers should make an appearance for?" Pepper asked in utter disbelief.

"No, and fuck no we're not going." Tony said immediately. "Bruce and Nat didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what, Tony?" Steve asked, giving him a searching glance. Tony and Loki made uneasy eye contact.

"...Loki's pregnant." He said quickly, barely managing to get the words out. Loki winced sympathetically as Steve's jaw dropped in disbelief and Pepper looked equal parts shocked and excited.

"That's amazing! But... how?" Pepper said curiously.

"Amazing? Seriously? Any other time there was the slightest possibility I might have knocked up some chick up you went ballistic. Why's this any different?" Tony grumbled. Steve just sort of opened and closed his mouth as he tried to rationalize how it was physically possible.

"Well, you're married now. And oddly enough, Loki's a good influence on you. We'll have to plan a baby shower and call the decorator to set up a nursery..." Pepper rambled, looking oddly glassy-eyed. Tony_ just_ managed not to make an asshole comment about Pepper being all mushy when he remembered that she had once mentioned wanting children in the worst way. ...But couldn't get pregnant due to health issues, and she wasn't getting any younger.

"Well..." Tony said smiling awkwardly. "I guess we can let Auntie Pepper plan a baby shower, yeah?" Loki raised his eyebrows curiously as Pepper practically smothered Tony in a hug and looked like she was going to cry. He gently shrugged her off and glanced apologetically at Steve who looked about as lost and confused as Loki felt.

"Capsicle, be a doll and tell Clint about this, would you? I think he's the only one still in the dark now." Tony said to him.

"I'll go too!" Pepper said cheerfully and followed Steve who seemed doubtful, but not entirely disapproving.

"She always wanted kids but can't have any of her own." Tony explained quickly to Loki when they left. "I think it would mean a lot to her to include her in some of this. Fuck knows she deserves it for how much of my shit she's put up with over the years. She's practically my annoying little sister, anyway. Even though she doesn't technically work for me anymore, just the company, she's still _always_ here looking after us."

Loki smiled softly and nodded in agreement. "The Lady Pepper would make an excellent aunt. ...But what is a baby shower?"

"A party you have when you're pregnant to celebrate the future birth of your child, I guess. Don't ask me, I don't have a vagina." Tony replied dully. "Yeah, actually, maybe some female companionship would be a good idea for you. She was your maid of honor, anyway." Loki rolled his eyes, but felt oddly content as he thought about it. It was still scary, of course, but seeing Pepper so unusually happy made him feel a bit better.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes:** I should probably say that I _really_ love Pepper as a character, just not as Tony's girlfriend... On the other hand, I think I suck at writing Thor. He keeps coming out like some kind of overly emotional asshat. lmfao. I give up on him. It is what it is.

Also, sorry for the lack of updates. Life has been shitty.

* * *

**Chapter 6:** An Unexpected Offer

* * *

"...No alcohol, very little caffeine and most importantly you need to avoid stress as much as physically possible." Loki was hardly listening to Bruce. He was curled up in one of the big, squishy leather armchairs in the lounge with his head resting on the armrest and Tony's fingers twisted lightly in his hair. Pepper was sitting nearby too, with a cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. She'd managed to smooth things over with the board for Tony, in order to buy him a little more time to get the arc reactor prototype running.

Loki hadn't slept much in the two days since finding out about the pregnancy. He'd mostly been thinking of trying to find some way to be able to personally tell his mother without having Heimdall send Thor. Though, he couldn't think of much and didn't want to risk using the secret pathways or the Bifrost. If something as ridiculous as the scent of Pepper's coffee nauseated him, traveling through a tear in the fabric of space could be fatal. Okay, probably not _fatal_, but Loki highly doubted that the first person he came across would particularly appreciate being vomited on.

"Is he all right?" Pepper asked, fidgeting in her seat a bit. Tony looked down at Loki and nodded.

"Yeah, he's just tired... And sorry Pep, but to him your coffee smells ten times nastier than a dead animal festering on the freeway in the middle of July." The engineer replied. She made a face at Tony's thoroughly unnecessary description and got up to put the coffee in the fridge for Loki's sake.

"Yeah, some scents and other unexpected things might trigger the nausea. Fatigue is normal, but make sure he gets lots of rest and has a relatively constant sleep pattern." Bruce told Tony, seeing as Loki obviously wasn't listening.

"Got it, Doc." Tony said and ruffled Loki's hair. He ignored him, but yawned quietly. "So, are you done reading the riot act?"

"For now." Bruce said with a lopsided smile. "When Loki's feeling up to it, I want to run a few more tests to figure out how the actual birth will work. I mean, I _assume_ it would have to be a c-section. Well, maybe not. If his body did this without him even knowing because of his ability to shapeshift, there might be other things that are different, too. I'm _really_ curious to see what he looks like on the inside right now."

"You sound like Tony when he gets his hands on illegal government technology..." Pepper said, shaking her head. "Well, let's plan the baby shower for around the sixth month so we can know if it'll be a boy or a girl when we pick the decorations. …Unless you want it to be a surprise, I guess." Pepper added, grinning.

"She will be a girl." Loki said shortly and stretched.

"How do you know?" Pepper asked with genuine curiosity.

"...I don't _know_, but that feels right somehow." Loki tried to explain, frowning.

"I suppose a mother's intuition is probably right." Pepper said thoughtfully.

"...Mother?" Loki sighed. "Well, I suppose I am not exactly the father, by any stretch of the imagination." Tony let out a bark of laughter and kissed his forehead.

* * *

When they finally escaped from Bruce and Pepper, Tony tucked Loki gently into the blankets in their bed. ...After managing to convince him to eat some scrambled eggs and toast. He hadn't eaten much more than he'd slept in the past few days. As it happened, the prospect of puking it back up a few hours later horrified Loki more than... Well, _anything_ at the moment. He was going to need to find some way to get him to eat more. Loki didn't eat a lot normally as it was, getting him to adhere to a healthy, balanced diet was going to be harder than getting Thor to lay off the Poptarts.

...Impossible, basically.

Tony left him to get some rest while he made his way to the workshop. He'd rather stay with Loki, but he couldn't let Pepper's effort to get the board off his back (without anyone knowing about Loki's pregnancy) go to waste. Loki would be all right, he could tell. If he needed him, Tony would know in an instant through the soul bond.

At least, he seemed to finally be accepting the whole situation. Tony was going to have to thank Pepper for Being, well, Pepper. Her excitement about being 'Aunt' Pepper, being in charge of the baby shower, and picking out furniture for the kid's room was rubbing off on Loki a bit. Basically, he was too distracted by her fawning over him to remember to be scared out of his mind.

Tony hummed along with Black Sabbath's Iron Man (he'd deny considering it his personal super hero theme song until his dying breath) that was playing in the background, as he brought up his blueprints for the low-cost arc reactor project. Thoughtfully, Tony closed a few of them and focused on the core. He stroked his beard absently as he considered Natasha's comment the other day about using something other than metal. It wasn't a route he'd considered.

_So what naturally conducts electricity other than metal? Water. Some natural fibers if you consider static charge based on friction... _

Tony unceremoniously pulled a scrap of paper from under a stack of files he still needed to sign for Pepper, and sketched out a few equations by hand. He tapped the end of the pen on the table for a few seconds before crumpling the paper up and throwing it over his shoulder.

"Sir, Mr. Odinson would like to know if he can enter the workshop." Jarvis interrupted. Tony was about to remind Jarvis that Loki's last name was now legally Stark, before he realized Loki was fast asleep and one of the security monitors showed Thor patiently waiting outside the door that blocked the stairs to the shop.

"Yeah, send him down." Tony said to the AI, wondering if the god of thunder might have some input for this nightmare. _Well, _after_ I tell him he's gonna be an uncle. _He yawned and cleared a space for Thor to sit on the metal bench near one of the worktables. He figured if it held up to the weight of his suits, Thor probably wouldn't break it. ...Unlike the chair by his desk which had been rebuilt twice since the wedding.

"Man of Iron! How fare thee, my friend?" Thor said jovially and came bounding into the shop.

"Mostly stressed out beyond the point of no return, but I'll manage. I always do." Tony said with a smile. "And how have you been, Pikachu?"

"Very well! I actually came to speak with Loki in regards to a personal matter, but your computer said that he is sleeping and not to be disturbed." Thor explained. "Is my brother well? It is unusual for him to sleep at this hour, is it not?"

"He's... Thor, buddy, you're going to be an uncle." Tony blurted out. _Yeah, just get it over with, Tony. Loki can heal the broken ribs from the bone-crushing bear hug that you know is coming..._

"An... Uncle?" Thor asked curiously. "How...?" Tony took a deep breath and did his best to explain the whole shapeshifting thing. Once Thor wrapped his head around it, Tony thought he was going to die of asphyxiation from the (not all all unexpected) bro-hug to end all bro-hugs.

"This is wonderful news! I will have to tell our mother. She has been going on about wanting grandchildren for centuries now. She will be beside herself!" The thunderer said, the perfect picture of joy at hearing the news.

"...Maybe you should talk to Loki first." Tony wheezed and managed to squirm out of Thor's grip. "I'll be here if you need me!" Tony added when Thor excitedly made a beeline for the elevator.

* * *

When Loki came awake to the sound of a loud crash, his first thought was that Tony had blown something up. … _Again. _When his vision cleared and he saw Thor standing in the doorway to his and Tony's bedroom with the biggest idiot grin on his face, he rolled over, ignored him and hoped to the Norns that he was having a bad dream.

"Brother! Man of Iron has told me the wonderful news!" Thor said, looking like he could just _die _of happiness.

_Ignore him, and he will go away..._

"We will have to tell mother! She will be so excited!"

_He is _not _here. _

"It is good that you will have an heir when you become the next king of Asgard!"

_...What?!_

"What did you just say?" Loki snapped and sat up quickly, staring at Thor with wide eyes. "About the throne of Asgard? I thought _your _father made it _rather clear _that I was _never_ meant to be a king."

Thor laughed heartily, and flopped down on the edge of the bed. Loki stared at him in a combination of annoyance and confusion. "I should have known that was what would catch your attention. Taking into account recent events, I truly believe that my place is here, in Midgard." Thor explained fondly. "I do not desire the throne as I once did. It is a cage that would prevent me from protecting the people of this realm that I have come to love so much."

"That is not the only reason, I can tell, but no matter." Loki observed astutely. "I do not want it either. I want no part of ruling a realm that has no love for me. This is my home now."

"I do not understand; you always desired the throne..."

"I wanted to be loved and admired as you were, Thor, but I do not need that any longer. It was never what I needed. I understand that now." Loki replied icily. _No, all I ever needed turned out to be the love of one man._

"But -" Thor began, but Loki silenced with him with a potent glare.

"No." Loki said firmly. "I will not return to Asgard, other than visit our mother on occasion. At least here I have been given a second chance, where there I never had a _first _chance."

Thor visibly sulked, but didn't press the point. He knew what Loki said was true, and many of the Aesir would never accept him as a leader simply based on his Jotun heritage. Those that were able to look past that, would be rather put off by his history as a trickster – never mind the mess with the Chitauri and being forced to attempt to enslave the earth. No, nothing good could come of Loki sitting on the throne of Asgard, and both he and Thor knew it.

"Mother said you would refuse." Thor conceded with a sigh. "She was right, as usual. Can you promise me something, brother? ...If I do become king, and my duty to Asgard prevents me from keeping Midgard safe, can you do so in my place?"

Loki frowned, and searched his pleading expression. "Hm. I suppose I can. Even if only because it is mine and Anthony's home. ...But _please _do not do anything stupid for the next eight months. At least wait until _after _my child is born before you manage to irritate the wrong people and throw the universe into mindless chaos." He said with a touch of sarcasm.

"There is the Loki I remember!" Thor said, laughing. "Though, as I recall, it was you who relished causing chaos. Hopefully my little nephew will be better behaved!"

"...Neice." Loki mumbled, mostly to himself. "I would not bet on it, Thor, not considering who the parents are." He commented, and laughed in spite of himself. _I suppose giving birth will only be half the battle, if the little one is anything like Anthony or I._

"True, I'm sure you will have your hands quite full." Thor replied, smiling.

"Could you tell mother for me, please? I wanted to inform her myself, but I do not think it would be good for my health to travel through the bifrost in this condition." Loki asked sheepishly.

"Of course! I will go tell her now!" Thor told him, and launched himself through the window and into the sky before Loki could stop him. It, of course, shattered everywhere and doubtlessly triggered one of Jarvis' many security protocols. Loki blinked and stared at the broken glass all over the floor in annoyance.

"Oaf." He muttered and effortlessly used magic to repair it, just as Tony peeked around the door frame. "I cannot believe you let him come up here." He said the to engineer who had come running when Thor demolished the window.

"I can't believe you just declined the throne of Asgard. Like, holy shit. You really love me, don't you? I know you do; that was rhetorical. You don't have to say anything. I just meant that -" Tony rambled.

"You do realize that you are required to make it up to me for letting my brother up here, yes?" Loki drawled, cutting into Tony's inane babbling.

"I have a few ideas of how I might accomplish that..."

"Then get to it, _dear._"


End file.
